Quote from Forum Archives on August 20, 2003, 11:07 am

Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>

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The victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

  A.  Acts 13:30-39

 

 B. Without a doubt, the Lord's triumph over death is the happy
 ending of His crucifixion and burial--not only for Him, but also for
 everyone in need of His saving grace.

 

   Whereas other religious leaders have gone to the cemetery one by
  one and remained there, Jesus is the only one who arose with the
  power that conquers the grave.

 

   1. As Paul states in Acts 13:30,31, "But God raised Him from the
   dead; and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him
   from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to
   the people."

 

    a. Note that it was "for many days" that Christ appeared to those
   who would become His witnesses.

 

    b. Luke defines this period of "many days" in Acts 1:3:

 

    "To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by
   many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty
   days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God."

 

     1) Not only did the Lord appear to these individuals, however, He
     also proved that He still had the same power as before to work
     undeniable miracles.

 

     2. Paul lists for us some of these people whom the Lord appeared to
     in 1 Cor. 15:3-8.

 

  C. The resurrection has been referred to as being the "linchpin" of
 Christianity.  In other words, it's what keeps the wheel of faith
 held securely to the wagon of Christianity.

 

   1. The importance of the Lord's ressurrection can be seen in Romans
   1:3,4.

 

    a. The resurrection of Christ, as the old cliche goes, is the
   "proof of the pudding."

 

     1) We know He is God because of His power over death.

 

    b. illus.  A man can claim to be a great violinist, but by taking
   his bow and placing his violin under his chin, he can then play a
   selection and prove that he is everything he claimed to be.

 

     1) cf.  Christ claimed to be the "Resurrection and the Life" in
    John 11.  He also claimed both directly and indirectly that He was
    the Son of God.  Who else would have the power of life, but God
    Himself?  Jesus, therefore, by His very resurrection, substantiates
    His claims to be these things beyond doubt.

 

      a) We can also note that since Jesus is the resurrection, then to
     believe in the Lord is to believe in a resurrected Lord. It is not
     enough to merely accept the fact that He once lived; man must realize
     that the Lord lived, He died, and He arose from death to live again
     and forever more.

 

   2. Apparently, some in Corinth did not believe in the possibility
  of man living again beyond the grave (the Sadducees had also been
  characterized by this).

 

    a. But consider the futility if this be true -- 1 Cor. 15:12-20.

 

  D. Going back to Acts 13:32-35, Paul helps us to understand the
 phrase in Psalm 2 in which God says, "Thou art My Son; today I have
 begotten Thee."

 

   1. Let us take another look at Acts 13:32-35.

 

    a. According to the text, Christ being "begotten" does not have
   reference to the Lord's conception or birth, but rather to His
   resurrection.  The very same passage also states "that God
   has...raised up Jesus...." and the following verse says, "And as for
   the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to
   decay...."

 

     1) Clearly, the concept of Jesus being "begotten" in these verses
    is figuratively referring to His resurrection.

 

     2. Actually, the idea of "begotten" is sometimes used in a special
    metaphorical sense pertaining to other people in the Bible as well.

 

      a. Though we read in Heb. 11:17 that "By faith Abraham, when he was
      tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was
     offering up his ONLY BEGOTTEN SON," it is also true that Isaac was
     not Abraham's only begotten Son in the literal sense; he wasn't even
     Abraham's firstborn in the literal sense--Ishmael was.  Furthermore,
     after Sarah had died, Abraham had also more children by his new wife
     Keturah.

 

     1) This phrase must, therefore, have a figurative meaning that
    indicates something very special. The Bible shows us that the
    blessings which God had promised to Abraham were to come through his
    promised son Issac, so he, therefore, was to be very special.

 

     2) Jesus was ultimately special in fulfilling God's will and making
    redemption possible for the transgressors of the world.

 

      a) As the Hebrew writer expresses it, "For to which of the angels
     did He ever say, 'Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee'?...."
     (Heb. 1:5).

 

       1: In this section, Christ is seen as being far superior to the
      angels:  He is the Creator, they are the created.  He is the
      worshiped, they are the worshipers.

 

       a: His being "begotten" by the Father, therefore, signifies a very
      special position that God has given to Him.

 

       b: The Bible shows us that the Lord has been raised from the dead
      and made to sit at God's right hand where He has all power and
      authority in heaven and on earth.  What could be more special than
      this?

 

     I. While Stephen, the first recorded martyr, was being stoned to
    death, he looked up and saw the heavens opened and the resurrected
    Jesus standing at the right hand of God in heaven (Acts 7:56).

 

      A. cf.  Eph. 1:18-23

 

      b. Furthermore, the sinner who becomes a saint through the shed
     blood of Jesus Christ is also referred to as being one of God's
     begotten (1 Pet. 1:3; 1 Jn. 5:1). What relationship could be more
     special than one's relationship with God Himself.

 

       1) The child of God has been born into the family of God.

 

  E. Our text concludes with the following verses --Acts 13:38,39:

 

   "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him
  forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone
  who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be
  freed through the Law of Moses."

 

   1. Francis Schaeffer made a helpful point concerning how God's
  people were allowed to approach the Lord during the Mosaical Age.

 

    a. In the tabernacle (which God instructed His people to build) was
   to be placed the ark of the covenant within the Holy of Holies.  In
   this ark was the law of God.  And it is said that the ark represented
   God's presence with His people.

 

    There was no idol to ever be placed within the tabernacle--and
   this, therefore, greatly differed from the heathenistic places of
   worship that would normally have some type of idol-god.

 

    Rather than having an idol, the ark would symbolize God's
   character.  And the content of God's character was seen within the
   ark where it was revealed in the LAW OF COMMANDMENTS that God had
   given to His people and which would be placed within the ark.

 

    If, however, this box and its contents of the Law were the only
   represention of God's character, the Jew would have still been left
   with his sin.  But we must remember the "MERCY SEAT" that was to
   serve as a type of lid for the ark.

 

     1) Schaeffer: "...if a person does not know the Hebrew word being
    translated, mercy-seat may confuse, because this word actually means
    the atonement cover--a covering not like a jar lid, but a covering in
    the sense of atonement.  This is emphasized by the fact that Hebrews
     9:5, in speaking of the 'cheribim of glory shadowing the mercy seat,'
    uses a Greek word which means 'the propitiatory.'"

 

     2) ibid:  "God did not meet the Jews at the level of the law.  He
    met them at the level of the mercy-seat."

 

    a) Exo. 25:22, "...there I will meet with you; and from above the
   mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of
   the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in
   commandment for the sons of Israel."

 

   2. It is only through Jesus--and not by human merit--that we can
  obtain access to God and experience the joyous liberty of His spirit.

 

    a. John 8:31,32:

 

    "Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If
   you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you
   shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'"

 

    b. JOH 8:36 "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be
   free indeed."

 

   3. Why couldn't the Law of Moses provide this?

 

    a. ROM 3:20, "because by the works of the Law no flesh will be
   justified in His sight; for through the Law {comes} the knowledge of
   sin."

 

    b. GAL 2:16, "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by
   the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have
   believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in
   Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the
   Law shall no flesh be justified."

 

 As we  see, the expression that Jesus was "begotton" in Acts 13
signifies the truth that He was resurrected.  Because of His
resurrection, we can each have hope in a glorious resurrection as
well.  Won't you accept His blessings this day by rendering obedience
to His word?

 

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